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CHARITY REVIEW
Issued: May 2025 Expires: May 2027

Pathway

Standards Not Met
Standards Not Met
6 7 13 14 16 17 18
(419) 242-7304
505 Hamilton Street
Toledo, OH, 43604
https://pathwaytoledo.org/
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Standards For Charity Accountability

Governance

  1. Board Oversight
  2. Board Size
  3. Board Meetings
  4. Board Compensation
  5. Conflict of Interest

Measuring Effectiveness

  1. Effectiveness Policy
  2. Effectiveness Report

Finances

  1. Program Expenses
  2. Fundraising Expenses
  3. Accumulating Funds
  4. Audit Report
  5. Detailed Expense Breakdown
  6. Accurate Expense Reporting
  7. Budget Plan

Fundraising & Info

  1. Truthful Materials
  2. Annual Report
  3. Website Disclosures
  4. Donor Privacy
  5. Cause Marketing Disclosures
  6. Complaints

Pathway does not meet the following 7 Standards for Charity Accountability:

Standard 6 (Board Policy on Effectiveness)
Have a board policy of assessing, no less than every two years, the organization's performance and effectiveness and of determining future actions required to achieve its mission.

Pathway does not meet this Standard because:

  • The board of directors does not have a written policy stating that, at least every two years, an appraisal be done assessing the organization’s performance and effectiveness and determining future actions required to achieve its mission.

Standard 7 (Board Approval of Written Report on Effectiveness)
Submit to the organization's governing body, for its approval, a written report that outlines the results of the aforementioned performance and effectiveness assessment and recommendations for future actions.

Pathway does not meet this Standard because:

  • The organization has not completed an effectiveness assessment in the last two years.

Standard 13 (Accuracy of Expenses in Financial Statements)
Accurately report the charity's expenses, including any joint cost allocations, in its financial statements. For example, audited or unaudited statements which inaccurately claim zero fund raising expenses or otherwise understate the amount a charity spends on fund raising, and/or overstate the amount it spends on programs will not meet this standard.

Pathway does not meet this Standard because its 2022 audited financial statements - consolidated:

  • Reports the organization had no fundraising expenses.

Standard 14 (Budget)
Have a board-approved annual budget for its current fiscal year, outlining projected expenses for major program activities, fund raising, and administration.

Pathway does not meet this Standard because, when the organization provided 2024 budget information, it indicated that the budget:

  • Did not identify total projected program service expenses and did not break these expenses down by major program category (community services, home energy assistance, home repair, home relief fund, temporary assistance for needy families, utility assistance plus, and other).
  • Did not identify total projected fundraising expenses.
  • Did not identify total projected administrative expenses.

Standard 16 (Annual Report)
Have an annual report available to all, on request, that includes: (a) the organization's mission statement, (b) a summary of the past year's program service accomplishments, (c) a roster of the officers and members of the board of directors, (d) financial information that includes (i) total income in the past fiscal year, (ii) expenses in the same program, fund raising and administrative categories as in the financial statements, and (iii) ending net assets.

Pathway does not meet this Standard because the 2023 annual report did not include:

  • Total expenses for each program in the same categories that appear in the organization’s financial statements (community services, home energy assistance, home repair, home relief fund, temporary assistance for needy families, utility assistance plus, and other).
  • Total fundraising expenses.
  • Total administrative expenses.

Standard 17 (Web Site Disclosures)
Include on any charity websites that solicit contributions, the same information that is recommended for annual reports, as well as the mailing address of the charity and electronic access to its most recent IRS Form 990.

Pathway does not meet this Standard because the organization’s website, https://pathwaytoledo.org, does not include all of the recommended information for those charity websites that solicit for donations. Specifically, it does not include:

  • Electronic access to the organization’s 2022 IRS Form 990.

Standard 18 (Privacy for Written Appeals & Internet Privacy)
Address privacy concerns of donors by (a) providing in written appeals, at least annually, a means (e.g., such as a check off box) for both new and continuing donors to inform the charity if they do not want their name and address shared outside the organization, (b) providing a clear, prominent and easily accessible privacy policy on any of its websites that tells visitors (i) what information, if any, is being collected about them by the charity and how this information will be used, (ii) how to contact the charity to review personal information collected and request corrections, (iii) how to inform the charity (e.g., a check off box) that the visitor does not wish his/her personal information to be shared outside the organization, and (iv) what security measures the charity has in place to protect personal information.

Pathway does not meet this Standard because:

The BBB Wise Giving Alliance requested but did not receive complete information from the organization and is unable to verify the organization's compliance with the following Standard(s) for Charity Accountability: 15

Pathway meets the remaining 12 Standards for Charity Accountability.

Stated Purpose:
"to reduce poverty by providing comprehensive services that create pathways to self-sufficiency."

Year, State Incorporated:
1965, OH

Pathway reports that it is a community action agency serving low-income residents of Lucas County, Ohio. The organization serves individuals and families through programs focused on case management and rental assistance; employment and career services; family and supportive services; home energy assistance program; and senior citizens and the disabled. Pathway’s largest program is the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP), a federally funded program that provides eligible residents with financial assistance directly to their utility or bulk fuel bill. The organization’s case management and rental assistance programs also provide financial support for utilities, taxes, insurance, security deposits, and other rental fees. The employment and career services include general education diploma classes, entrepreneurial and business development, and other job skills classes. Pathway’s family and supportive services offer clients fatherhood and motherhood workshops. In 2023, the organization reported it answered 110,961 calls, assisted 31,103 individuals, and provided utility assistance for 28,860 residents of Lucas County.

For the year ended December 31, 2022, Pathway's program expenses were:

Community services $2,033,718
Home energy assistance $3,697,648
Home repair $445,964
Home relief fund $14,615,650
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) $848,251
Utilities assistance plus $943,764
Other programs $966,348
Total Program Expenses $23,551,343

Chief Executive
Robert Jordan, Interim Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer

Compensation*
$118,036

Chair of the Board
Theresa M. Gabriel

Chair's Profession / Business Affiliation
Retired

Board Size
15

Paid Staff Size
70

*2022 compensation includes annual salary and, if applicable, benefit plans, expense accounts, and other allowances.

Note: According to the organization's 2022 IRS Form 990, the highest paid employee was former Chief Executive Officer Jay Black Jr., with total compensation of $128,234.

Method(s) Used:
Grant proposals, Internet

Note: Since BBB Wise Giving Alliance disagrees with Pathway's allocation of fundraising expenses, we are unable to verify the ratio of fundraising expenses to related contributions. See the Conclusion section of this report for more information

This organization is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. It is eligible to receive contributions deductible as charitable donations for federal income tax purposes.

The following information is based on Pathway's audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2022.

Source of Funds
Miscellaneous income $70,390
Contributions $79,042
Grants $24,959,433
Total Income $25,108,865

Programs: 95% Fundraising: 0% Administrative: 5%

Total Income $25,108,865
Total expenses: $24,744,635
  Program expenses $23,551,343
  Fundraising expenses $0
  Administrative expenses $1,193,292
  Other expenses $0
Income in Excess of Expenses $364,230
Beginning Net Assets $836,193
Other Changes In Net Assets $0
Ending Net Assets $1,200,423
Total Liabilities $2,821,481
Total Assets $4,021,904

An organization may change its practices at any time without notice. A copy of this report has been shared with the organization prior to publication. It is not intended to recommend or deprecate, and is furnished solely to assist you in exercising your own judgment. If the report is about a charity and states the charity meets or does not meet the Standards for Charity Accountability, it reflects the results of an evaluation of information and materials provided voluntarily by the charity. The name Better Business Bureau is a registered service mark of the International Association of Better Business Bureaus.

This report is not to be used for fundraising or promotional purposes.

RELATED CONTENT

Report completed by:
BBB Wise Giving Alliance